My Daily Visitor

Friday, September 14, 2012

Sep 14, 2012 - John 3:13-17

Today's gospel teaches us that Jesus is the name
above all others. God "greatly exalted him" (Phi 2-9) so that "every knee should
bend" (Phi 2-10) at his name. It was the sacrifice on the cross that Jesus gave
willingly to save us from sin that seperated him from all others.

In the first reading from Numbers for today, Moses
and God were blamed by the people of the Exodus that they were starving and
questioned why God freed them from bondage. They complained "Why have you
brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or
water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" (Num 21:5). So God sent seraph serpents to bite his
people, many Isralites died. When the people repented, God instructed Moses
to make a seraph and mount it to a pole so that when the people saw it, even
those who had been bitten would recover and live.

This pole with an angelic figure and is compartive to
Jesus being hung on the cross. Those that look to that figure will be
saved, just as those people of Israel during the Exodus who were saved by
looking at the seraph pole. Mounted high for all to see. The figurative symbol
of Jesus hanging from a tree is one catholics look to. It's not enough for us to
see a cross as protestants do. It's important to see the actual figure,
suffering for us all and dying for each of us. A symbol similar to the one Moses
created and mounted to the pole for the Isralites to see.

"Lord, when I see you on the cross, I am
reminded that your suffering has paid my way to eternal life. Grant me your
saving grace that I may one day be united with you in heaven." -
Amen